35 Years Since the Expulsion from Kostajnica Marked
A round table and exhibition in the City Council Chamber recall the day when around two thousand Croats were forced to leave their homes at gunpoint.
A round table and exhibition in the City Council Chamber recall the day when around two thousand Croats were forced to leave their homes at gunpoint.
In late July, a round table was held in the City Council Chamber in Hrvatska Kostajnica to mark the 35th anniversary of the expulsion of the Croatian population from the town. On July 31, 1991, under the pressure of attacks by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serbian paramilitary units, around two thousand people were forced to abandon their homes.
The gathering, organized by the City of Hrvatska Kostajnica and the Association "Za Vukovar" under the patronage of the Ministry of Croatian Veterans and the Sisak-Moslavina County, began with a moment of silence for all fallen defenders and civilian victims. Speakers included Mayor Dalibor Bišćan and Brigadier Željko Kalić, who represented Tomo Medved, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans.
The moderator and organizer of the event, Damir Luka Saftić, author of a forthcoming monograph on Hrvatska Kostajnica during the Homeland War, provided an introductory overview of the events. It was emphasized that the mass exodus of the population, along with members of the police and the special units "Rode" from Varaždin and Zagreb, was a consequence of days of mortar attacks, JNA aerial bombing, killings in roadside ambushes, and systematic intimidation.
Special attention was drawn to the massacre of Croatian civilians in Struga and surrounding villages, which occurred just days before the expulsion itself. Fear and uncertainty among residents were further heightened by the testimonies of numerous displaced persons arriving from the Croatian part of the Una Valley, painting a terrifying picture of the approaching reality.
Before the discussion, a documentary photography exhibition titled "Testimonies of Expulsion" was opened, authored by Alija Krupić and the late Željko Grgurinović. Authentic video recordings made on the very day of the expulsion, July 31, 1991, were also shown.
At the round table, direct participants in these events shared their personal testimonies: Dražen Sopina, deputy wartime commander of the Special Police Unit "Ris" of the Kutina Police Department; Tvrtko Sokler, reserve police officer at the Hrvatska Kostajnica Police Station; nurse Anđelka Dukić, a participant in the exodus; Marija Krupić, a displaced person; history teacher Filip Babić; and Krešimir Bulić, the then parish priest of Kostajnica.
They spoke about the defense of the town, work with the wounded, the circumstances of the forced departure, and the role of the Church and the local community during the war months of 1991. Participants stressed that preserving reliable testimonies and archival materials is crucial for understanding the wartime events and passing them on to younger generations.
